eInformation Strategy of the Academic Information Service

(AIS) (aka the library)

Presented by Heila Pienaar

Content: eInformation strategy

• Context– Changing role of academic libraries– Impact of eResearch– Information needs of Net Generation students

• eInformation strategy business plan• Integration with the library’s strategic plan• Some of the processes, results and products of

this strategy• The next stage …

Changing role of academic libraries• Traditional purpose of academic libraries is to provide

access to trustworthy, authoritative knowledge• Information-seeking and behaviour are changing

drastically > Web / Net• In Dec 2004 Google started to digitize 4 big libraries’

holdings (“tipping point”)• With everything on the Net – what is left for

academic libraries?• Possibilities: providing learning spaces; creating

metadata; virtual reference; info literacy; managing licenses; digitizing, digital repositories …(http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm06/erm0610.asp)

Impact of eResearch• . E-research / e-science typically “entails

harnessing the capacity of information and communication technology (ICT) systems, particularly the power of high-capacity distributed computing, and the vast distributed storage capacity fuelled by the reducing cost of memory, to study complex problems across the research landscape.”(http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm05/erm0563.asp)

Role of university libraries in eResearch

• In the South African context the implication of e-research for information support has been investigated at a high level

• The result is the SARIS (SA research information service) report (http://www.sajim.co.za)

• The proposed eResearch support service is important to university libraries, as they can implement many of the initiatives

eResearch Support Service for SA

eResearch Development & Innovation

eResearch Service Delivery

Usually sub-contracted to competent agents in the system

Future eResearch activities•Research Portal (incl global searching)

•Data Transfer and Sharing (processes and protocols, 3As, helpdesk)

•Open Access (Standards, common software, institutional repositories)

•The eResearch Librarian (Training and re-orientation)

•Digital Curation Services (Standards, software, marketing & training services)

•Portable & access constraints

Immediately•SASLI+

•National Research and Education Network

•Centre for High Performance Computing

Activities

Function

Governance & Management

Innovative services move to Service Delivery

eResearch Board

Lead Users Forum

Information needs of Net Gen students

• Technology has led to more modernization than transformation of the library, resulting in some major disconnects between many of today’s academic libraries and Net Gen students

• The most common disconnect between many of today’s academic libraries and Net Gen students is students’ dependence on Google or similar search engines for discovery of information resources rather than consultation of library Web pages, catalogs, and databases as the main source of access (http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm05/erm0523.asp)

eInformation strategy business plan• A business plan for the AIS eInformation

strategy was formulated for the period June 2004-December 2005

• Content:– Introduction– Strategic context– Vision & mission of the AIS; strategic objectives of

this strategy– Information products & services– Marketing– Staff issues– Resources needed– Recommendations & implementation

Integration with the library’s strategic plan

• The content of the business plan was integrated in the AIS strategic plan 2005-2010:

We strive to be leaders in providing world-class solutions to information and knowledge challenges for achieving academic excellence.

The AIS leads and facilitates

• Information and knowledge management

• Information literacy

• Designing and establishment of e-information services

• Establishment of a gateway to global information

• Effective scholarly communication

• We generate positive energy for academic business success

• Professional behaviour, ethics and values are our hallmark

Vision

Mission

Values

Vision, Mission, ValuesVision, Mission, Values

The Academic Enterprise

UP STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Marketing & Communication

Transformation

2010201020092009200820082007200720062006

Teach Students eLiteracy & Life-long Learning Skills

Develop Research Support Strategy

Develop new Research Support Role for Information Specialists

Implement Research Support Strategy

Open Access to Scholarly Material

2010201020092009200820082007200720062006

Enhance InfoLiteracy & Life-long Learning Skills

Develop Research Support Strategy

Develop new Research Support Role for Information Specialists

Implement Research Support Strategy

Open Access to Scholarly Material

Restructuring AIS IT Architecture to integrate with UP Systems redesign

Learning Centre Phase

2

Federated Search Engine

Researcher Space

Research Portal

AIS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

eInformationStrategy

Learning & eLearningSupport

Research & eResearchSupport

Organisationalredesign to create eService

AIS strategic plan: 2006AIS strategic plan: 2006--2010 (extra funding)2010 (extra funding)

Redesign Planning and Implementation

Implement Institutional Digital Research Repository

The AIS eThe AIS e--information strategyinformation strategy

The aim of this strategy is the creation of an integrated seamless eService for the University of Pretoria.

Objectives

To support education innovation and research excellence at UP;To deliver optimal e-information portal services (work flow) to our clients, and

To take part in and make a contribution to international and national e-information phenomena, e.g. open access, digital preservation, e-Science, content management.

Key sub strategies in order to meet these objectives

The creation of an e-information environment for our clients; Development of an e-information plan as part of UP's e-strategy; Development of learing/e-learning & research/e-research support strategies;

The adjustment of the AI's structure, business processes, skills and facilities to support the e-information strategy.

The e-information environment sub-strategy consists of the following projects: integrated systems, integrated interface, academic tools, digital reference, ICT infrastructure, e-sources, e-dissertations, academic digital repositories, e-publication and digital preservation.

Organisational Redesign to create an eServiceOrganisational Redesign to create an eService

Characteristics of eServiceClient:

Single sign-on, single authentication, single interfaceSelf-help & self-trainingCustomized services, products & tools egcollaborative learning & research and knowledge acquisition & creation Information control & manipulationFederated search for academic materialOnline helpSharing & archiving research results; improving permanence of outputs

System:Streamlined & enhanced AIS architecture (software & hardware)Aligned with UP IT policy & architecture

ImplicationsRe-allocation and re-

deployment of resources, particularly HR

Skills training

Dedicated e-Unit for product and service development & delivery

Extensive process re-engineering

Federated search engineFederated search engine

Library Catalogue

E-journals

Databases

Theses

Institutional Digital Repository Institutional Digital Repository

"…a university-based institutional repository is a set of services that a university offers to the members of its community for the management and dissemination of digital materials created by the institution and its community members. It is most essentially an organizational commitment to the stewardship of these digital materials, including long-term preservation where appropriate, as well as organization and access or distribution.”(http://www.dpconline.org/docs/DPCTWf4word.pdf)

Digital Repository ModelDigital Repository Model

Only digital material can be submitted: digitized or digitally born

UP digital repositoryUP digital repository

UP Digital RepositoryCo-ordinator: Heila Pienaar

UP Client / retrieval

SpecialCollectionsManager:

Maureen du Pisanie

Scholarly CommunicationManager:

Monica Hammes

Dept of ArchitectureManager:

Hettie Groenewald

Vet Science Faculty

Manager:Erica vd

Westhuizen

Specialist / expert roles:• Metadata: Amelia Breytenbach• Digitisation: Ria Groenewald• Platform manager: Ina Smith• IT Specialist: Dept IT / Psybergate• Consultant: Theo Bothma

Champions

Dept of Chemistry

Manager:

SunetteSteynberg

Education Faculty

Manager:

Johann van Wyk

Personal academic knowledge management

Collection & retrieval of information & data

•Sources

•Functions

Organising & processing of information & data

Creating information & knowledge products

Communication & distribution of knowledge

Personal knowledge

management

The Academic Enterprise

Marketing & Communication

Transformation

UP STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

AIS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

Learning & eLearningSupport

Research & eResearchSupport

Organisationalredesign to create eService

eInformationStrategy

2010201020092009200820082007200720062006

Dev Res Supp Strat

Dev new Research Supp Role for Inf Specialists

Enhance InfoLiteracy & Life-long Learning Skills

Implement Res Support Strategy

Open Access to Scholarly Material

Research Portal from SARIS

Learning Centre Phase 2

Restructuring of AIS IT Architecture to integrate with UP Systems redesign

Implement Institutional Digital Repository

Federated Search Engine

Researcher Space

Improved Knowledge Management

Click to see AIS 2005 Risks aligned with Strategic PlanClick to see AIS 2005 Risks aligned with Strategic Plan

Redesign Planning and Implementation

Risk 1: Strategy not supported by organisational structure in the AIS

Risk 2: Insufficient funding for ICT to implement e-strategy AIS unable to support the Academic Enterprise

Risk 3: Increasing competition from outside

Risk 4: Service imbalance between UP IT support for core academic and administrative functions

Risk 5: Lack of organisational transformation

Some of the processes, results & products of this strategy (1)

• The strategy is part of my portfolio as a member of the AIS executive

• An eInformation steering committee was created with several portfolios and specific terms of reference

• Organisational redesign consultants are helping the AIS to change to a new structure to support the eInformationStrategy

Some of the processes, results & products of this strategy (2)

•

• UP executive supports this strategy (budget)

• UP academics & departments are positive about the UPSpace repository

• UP students are happy with the Google Scholar initiative

• The AIS Infoportal has been transformed to the UP portal as an interface for UP eproducts

Some of the processes, results & products of this strategy (3)

•

• UPSpace (UP digital research repository) - UP support services are also interested in using the same software

• Google Scholar is a free and easy-to-use federated / global search engine

• A revamped AIS web site is under development

• The AIS and IT are aligned in terms of standards and architecture

• AIS staff are being retrained / reskilled

The next stage …

• My dream is that the AIS must take the leadership at UP in developing a Virtual Knowledge Environment (VKE) …

The next stage ….“ My strategic vision is that the university

library, in collaboration with relevant partners (UP, SA & global), must create an integrated virtual knowledge (research, learning, and information) environment (VKE) that will support the knowledge processes of researchers, teachers / learning facilitators & learners and that library and information professionals form an integral part of such an environment”

Example of a VKE / VRE• Integrative Biology Virtual Research Environment

(IBVRE):• The IB research consortium is a globally-

distributed, inter-disciplinary team engaged in constructing computer models in order to further understand heart disease & cancer

• VRE project aims to provide a single, integrated environment supporting the entire research process from experimental and simulated data generation, acquisition, analysis and curation, through access to experimental resources, to project management, administration, and learningand teaching support tools (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=ibvre&src=alpha)

Bibliography• Campbell, J.D. 2006. Changing a cultural icon. The academic library as a virtual

destination. Educause review, Jan/Feb 2006: 16-30. http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm06/erm0610.asp

• JISC project: A VRE to support the Integrative Biology Research Consortium. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=ibvre&src=alpha

• Lippencott, J.K. 2005. Net generation students and libraries. Educause review, March April 2005, 40(2) http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm05/erm0523.asp

• Page-Shipp, RJ., Hammes, M., Pienaar, H., Reagon, F., Thomas, G., vanDeventer, MJ., Veldsman, V. 2005. eResearch support services: responding to a challenge facing the South African research and information communities. SA Journal of Information Management, December 2005, 7(4) http://www.sajim.co.za

• Pienaar, H. 2003. Design and development of an academic portal. Libri, June 2003, 53(2): 118-129.

• Sergeant, D. M., Andrews, S., Farquhar, A. [2004?]. Embedding a VRE in an Institutional Environment (EVIE) & Workpackage 2: User Requirements Analysis User Requirements Analysis Report. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/evie/workpackages/wp2/evieWP2_UserRequirementsAnalysis_v1_0.pdf